Rhabdomyolysis following severe hypokalemia caused by familial hypokalemic periodic paralysis

Rhabdomyolysis continues to appear with increasing frequency and represents a medical emergency requiring rapid appropriate treatment. One of the unusual causes of nontraumatic rhabdomyolysis is hypokalemic periodic paralysis without secondary causes. Primary hypokalemic periodic paralysis is a rare genetic disease characterized by episodic attacks of muscle weakness due to decreases in serum potassium. A 30-year-old woman who had 3 episodic attacks of hypokalemic periodic paralysis was admitted in emergency room with sudden onset symmetrical muscle weakness. After several hours, she started to complain myal-gia and severe ache in both calves without any changes. Laboratory test showed markedly elevated creatine phosphokinase, lactic dehydrogenase levels with hypokalemia, rhabdomyolysis resulting from hypokale-mia was diagnosed. Here, we report an unusual case of rhabdomyolysis caused by severe hypokalemia, which was suggested a result of familial hypokalemic periodic paralysis.